The KIA Tigers, who have suffered repeated failures over the past few years, are set to restore their pride as a renowned baseball team in 2024. The tiger corps looking to the top must erase the question marks one by one.

KIA, the ‘famous family of tradition’, is the team with the most wins in the KBO League. He lifted the championship trophy 11 times, including during his time with the predecessor Haitai Tigers. Among KBO League clubs, KIA is the only one to have won more than 10 championships.

However, KIA's glory remains in the past. The most recent championship was in 2017, when they achieved the feat of winning the combined championship, and in the six seasons since winning the championship, they have advanced to the postseason only twice. The highest score was 5th place in 2018 and 2022. In the 2021 season, it suffered the humiliation of finishing 9th for the first time since its founding.

Last year, KIA dreamed of taking off by acquiring new foreign pitchers and veteran catcher Kim Tae-gun through a trade, but it ranked 6th. In the second half of the year, due to a series of injuries to key players and a sluggish performance of foreign pitchers, the team did not even receive an invitation to Gyareul Baseball.

KIA, which is aiming to win its first championship in seven years this year, must remove the question marks that exist everywhere to achieve its goal.

One of the important tasks that KIA must solve is the composition of foreign pitchers. Last season, he started the season with foreign pitchers Sean Anderson and Adonis Medina, but both failed to complete the season. Anderson (4 wins, 7 losses, ERA 3.76), who was not suited to be the first starter, and Medina (2 wins, 6 losses, ERA 6.05), who suffered extreme slumps, packed their bags in July and June, respectively.

Thomas Panoni and Mario Sanchez, who later joined as substitutes, also failed to achieve significant results. Panoni had 6 wins, 3 losses, and an average ERA of 4.26 in 16 games, while Sanchez pitched in 12 games and recorded 4 wins, 4 losses, and an average ERA of 5.94.

KIA, which parted ways with Panoni and Sanchez after the season, has not yet completed recruiting foreign pitchers. We are making every effort to recruit foreign pitchers to bring in solid first and second starting pitchers. If the new faces play their part, they can create a synergy effect with the native starting lineup consisting of Yang Hyun-jong, Lee Ui-ri, and Yoon Young-cheol.

The infield composition, in which starting third baseman Kim Do-young and first baseman Hwang Dae-in left due to injury, is also a cause for concern. Kim Do-young suffered a finger injury in November of last year and was diagnosed with a four-month diagnosis, and Hwang Dae-in, who had surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow in October, was also advised that he needed four months of rehabilitation.

Kim Gyu-sung, Park Min, Byun Woo-hyuk, and Oh Seon-woo are being mentioned as resources to fill the gaps left by the injured, but it is not easy to fill the vacancies of key players. They must make a mark by showing improved skills compared to previous years through spring camps and exhibition games. As an alternative, KIA is also considering hiring outfielder Lee Woo-sung, who hit .300 last year, as a first baseman.

KIA had a great harvest last season by discovering bullpen pitchers Choi Ji-min and Im Ki-young, but the stability of the existing sure-to-win team, closer Jeong Hae-young and setup man Jang Hyun-sik, was lacking. Jeong Hae-young, who had shown problems with velocity and pitching from the beginning of the season, recorded 23 saves and failed to reach 30 saves for the third consecutive year. Jang Hyun-sik, who showed ups and downs, only had 5 holds.

If Jeong Hae-young and Jang Hyun-sik recover their status, KIA will have a rich bullpen pitching staff. You can prepare for the new season with the existing winning pitching team of Jeong Hae-young, Jang Hyun-sik, and Jeon Sang-hyun, as well as Choi Ji-min and Lim Ki-young, who have been reborn as key cards, and competitive Lee Jun-young, Park Jun-pyo, and Kim Ki-hoon. 스포츠토토맨